Aikido is so vast that it is almost impossible to pay attention to each element during the practice, the postures, the feet, the hanmi, the elbows, the Hara tension, the breathing… The only way to learn is to focus on each element at the time and assimilate everything and then try to assemble the whole, a whole, as it is defined in the Holism (Holismo), is a lot more than the addition of the parts; a whole that is nothing but Aikido. Lately I have been focusing on Ukemis, the falls, that’s how we don’t hurt ourselves. There are people who say that making an Ukemi is an art itself, I think they aren’t so mistaken. It is important not to make much noise when falling because that means our body is hitting against the floor, we have to “be like a ball” to be able to roll, we have to stick the chin against the chest to make sure our head will not hit the floor or that our neck will not make a “latigo” effect. A common mistake is to cross the legs after receiving a Shihonage, which a bit dangerous, especially for men. If the legs are open, the contact area is expanded and that helps to absorb better the impact and also leave us in a more comfortable position to get up quickly.
I think getting up is part of the Ukemi, it is part of the protection.
There are classes one remembers more than others, that may be related each ones concentration. I remember one in particular that we had to move the tatami to another place because the roof of ours was broken. In that class we practiced how to get up without being exposed to be hit in the face. Now every time I get up think about that day, though I don’t always apply it, maybe because I’m paying attention to something else or I’m simply lazy J
During the practice one falls so many times and gets up so many times, SO MANY that it becomes natural, and what is natural to us is part of our attitude and character. This is nothing but the legacy he let us, the one that was given to the world by O’ Sensei.
What I express in these lines is just a personal impression, it doesn’t mean I do it right, or that what I said is right. I’m just trying to show what I see, feel, listen and try to do in the Dojo, truly.
I think getting up is part of the Ukemi, it is part of the protection.
There are classes one remembers more than others, that may be related each ones concentration. I remember one in particular that we had to move the tatami to another place because the roof of ours was broken. In that class we practiced how to get up without being exposed to be hit in the face. Now every time I get up think about that day, though I don’t always apply it, maybe because I’m paying attention to something else or I’m simply lazy J
During the practice one falls so many times and gets up so many times, SO MANY that it becomes natural, and what is natural to us is part of our attitude and character. This is nothing but the legacy he let us, the one that was given to the world by O’ Sensei.
What I express in these lines is just a personal impression, it doesn’t mean I do it right, or that what I said is right. I’m just trying to show what I see, feel, listen and try to do in the Dojo, truly.
Juan Pablo Fava
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